Do you have to go with the celebrant recommended by your venue?

Each day during World Celebrant Week, 2023, I’ll be posting a mini blog.

I was recently asked at a wedding fair, ‘do you have to go with the celebrant that comes with the venue?’

The simple answer is no, and some of the reasons are as follows.

The beauty of working with a celebrant is that you have freedom of CHOICE, including WHO will officiate your wedding ceremony and support and guide you to say the most meaningful words to and about each other.

You might not click with the celebrant that you meet at a wedding fair in the venue of your choice– the venue might be perfect but you still want to look around for the right celebrant – this is your prerogative to have the person that you best connect with to lead your ceremony. It’s all part of it being your day, your way.

One celebrant might have a certain way of working that just doesn’t align with you or your values, so ensure you are working with your values to choose the right celebrant for you as a couple.

Celebrants may have certain preferences or experiences that you will want to tap into – for instance in planning and delivering symbolic elements or understanding cultural backgrounds. Some may prefer to officiate ceremonies outside, some may prefer to lead a punk rock ceremony or glitter ball extravaganza! Again, it’s about finding the right fit for you, although you may well find that most celebrants can be flexible for your needs and wishes and go above and beyond to do additional research to get things right for you.

You are going to be paying a big chunk of £ on your wedding day – you want to ensure you are confident in what you are spending it on and know that you’ve not been swept along to do what you think might be expected of you.

Venues work with ‘preferred’ suppliers, including Celebrants, but it is very rare that they are contractually obliged to include the Celebrant that they work with as a must. Part of being in the wedding industry is that different suppliers get to know each other and appreciate and admire their work, so feel in a position to recommend certain suppliers, but you need to choose who is the right fit for you.

You might even want to have a family member to officiate your wedding and some celebrants (including myself) offer a service to support you to write your ceremony script and develop delivery skills.

YOUR wedding is YOUR day. Life is filled with enough expectations and obligations so make sure that whatever YOU choose, including who will officiate your wedding, is right for YOU!

Have you any other reasons to add? If so, I’d love to hear them! Just drop me an email at TheJoy@unahaslinger.com